Unlocking mechanism for safes and vaults.



F. HANDSGHUH: UNLOOKING MECHANISM FOR SAEES AND VAULTS. APPLICATIONFILED IEB.-13, 1912.

M m 5 n z SHEETS$EEET 1.

Aw a

Patented Feb. 25, 1913.

I 1 X I I.

INVENTEIR bY ATTDRN, YE:

-& T

h: WIT N c: 5 E:

F. HANDSOHUH. UNLOGKING MECHANISM FOR SAFES AND VAULTS. APPLICATIONFILED FBB.13, 1912.

1,054, 1 12, Patented Feb. 25, 1913.

2 SHEETS-$111311! 2.

WiTNEEEEEI A Maw 7 INVENTDR ATTBRNE'YE':

UNITED STATES PATENT orrioa.

FRANK HANDSCHUH, OF BUFFALO, NEW YORK.

UNLOCKING .MECHANISM FOR SAFES AND VAULTS.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Feb. 25, 19-13.

Application filed February 13. 1912. Serial No. 677,276.

mechanism of safes and vaults and especially time unlocking mechanism.

The objects of my invention are to improve the unlocking mechanism andto so construct the same that the safe-door is automaticallyopened afterbeing unlocked;

In the accompanying drawings consisting of 2 sheets: Figure 1' is afront elevation of the improved safe, partly broken away, to show thelocking bolts and other internal mechanism. Fig. 2 is a transversevertical section on line 2-2, Fig. 1. ;-Fig. 3 is a horizontal sectionon line 3-3, Fig. 2. Fig. 1 is an enlarged sectional elevation, showingthe door-unlocking mechanism. Figs. 5 and (i are horizontal sections onlines 55 and (3-6, Fig. a.

Similar characters of .reierence' indicate corresponding partsthroughout the several views.

meetin ends by a pin 3, while their oppo-' site cuts are respectivelypivoted to lugs or brackets 3 3 secured to theinncr side of the safedoor and that side wall of the safe body to which the external hinges 4are attached. These internal hinge-members form the chief supports ofthe door in all positions of the latter and folding or unfolding in anobvious manner as the door is closed or opened. As thesesupportinghinges are wholly within the safe, they cannot be pried or broken ofi'like ordinary external hinges- The door preferably consists of inner andouter platesfi, G, firmly bolted together and having arrangedtherebetaveen slots or re'- cesses 7 and bolt-guides 8 communicatingtherewith. Arranged within these slots are bars 9 carryin'g therewithoutwardly lock: ing bolts 10 which are adapted to enterthe apertures 11arranged in the bottom, side and top walls of the door-opening, thefront ends of these bolts being preferably beveled in the customarymanner. The rear edge of the door is provided with a flange 11 whichenters a groove in the adjacent wall of the safe when the door isclosed, thereby eliminating the necessity of providing locking bolts atsaid rear edge. Extending inwardly from each of the bolt bars 9 is arack bar 12, all of said rack bars meshing with a pinion 13, whichimpart-sequal and simultaneous movement to the several rack-bars andbolts. Located in several recesses 8 of the door are springs 14 whichare connected at their inner ends to the bolt bars 9 while their outerends are connected to abutment plates 15. which bridge the out r ends ofsaid recesses. These springs tend to hold the locking bolts in theirlocked position.

The safe is divided by a floor or partition 16 into upper and lowerchambers or compart'ments" 17, 18, the upper chamber being adapted toreceive the contents of the safe while the lower chamber is adapted toreceive the 'unlocking mechanism This floor is preferably hinged to therear wall of the safe to swing upwardly, as shown, but it may .beotherwise held in place, if desired.- The door 2 is applied only to theupper or main compartment 17. The lower or auxiliary compartment 18 ispermanently closed on all sides, so that access can be had thereto onlythrough its-top upon raising or removing the floor 16.

The unlocking i'nechanism consists ofa vertically movable rod or plunger19 which is located directly beneath or in line with one of the lockingbolts 10. Engaging a longitudinally screw'threaded bore of this plungeris a rotary screw 20 of comparatively steep pit-ch ournaled at its lowerend 111 a bearing in the floor of the lower safecompartment- 18, as bestshown in Fig. 4.

()n the lower portion of the screw 20 secured a gear wheel 21. Mountedvertically in astationary frame orstandard 22 a shaft 23 to which isfixed the gear wheel 2t and the bevel gear. 25. The wheel 24C en-' gagesan idle gear 26 Which is mountedon the shaft 27 and meshes with the gearwheel 21 while the bevel gear25 is rotated by a bevel pinion 28 securedto the motor-shatt- 30.

nor wall of the sate. The motor 31 is elec trically connected with. aclock of any suitable construction. Extending from this clock is acontact finger 40 which engages a contact plate 41 electricallyconnected through a battery 42 to the motor 31.. Pro

jecting above the flooring 16 is the winding knob 43 ot. the clock. At apredetermined time the contact members 4t0-4l1 come to gether, therebystarting the motor 31 which throu h the train of gearing hereinbetoredescri. ed imparts a rotary movement to the screw 20. Inasmuch as theplunger 19 can not rotate, it is forced upwardly against the cooperatinglocking bolt 10, forcing the latter and all the other bolts out of theapertures 11. in the sate body and unlocking the door. At the same timethe springs 38 are strained. Owing to the beveled faces 01? the lockingbolts 10, the plunger 19 after having pushed said bolts to theirunlocked position. forces the door open by the con tinued upwardmovement ot'the plunger. To facilitate this action, the upper end of theplunger 19 is preferably beveled to cor respond to the slant of thecontiguous locking bolt 10. "When the contact 40 passes the contact ell,the motor stops and the springs '38 reactand retractthe plunger to itsinitial lowered position, rotating the screw in the opposite direction,the motor-armature (not shown) and the train of gearing between it andthe screw taking part in this backward rotation of the latter. Thisimproved unlocking mechanism, while comparatively simple inconstruction, is positive and reliable in operation. By locatingthismechanism wholly in a separate compartment below the maincompartment of the safe, it is exceedingly ditlicult for unauthorized.employees or other persons to reset the clock or otherwise tamper withthe unlocking mechanism without danger of detection, as

itis necessary to empty the safe and refivc cents each, by addressingthe lommissioncr of :Paftentc, Washington, U.

move the flooring 16 before access can be had. tosaid mechanism. 7

Mounted in the lower compartment 1'? is a bell a l which is arranged tobe struck by a hammer or tappet when the bolts lO'havc passed into theapertures 11 and locked the safe-door, thus givingan alarm of that fact,

I claim as my invention:

1'. The combination of a safe body, a door applied thereto, a lockingbolt carried by the door and provided with a beveled face, a slidableunlocking member arranged to bear eudwisc against said beveled face,whereby after the bolt has been shifted to its imlockcd position by saidmember, the continued pressure of the member against said beveled faceforces the door open, and means for operating said unlocking member.

2.:1he combination of the sate-body, a door applied thereto and having alocking bolt, a non .-rotary reciprocating member coacting with saidbolt to unlock the same, a rotary screw engaging said member forimparting longitudinal movement thereto, and means for rotating saidscrew.

3. The combination. of the sate-body, a door applied thereto and havinga locking bolt,.a non-rotary reciprocating member co acting with saidbolt to unlock the smile, a rotary screw engagingsaid member forimparting longitudinal. movemcut thereto,

-means for rotating said screw to advance said member, and means forautomatically retracting said member.

4. The combination of the sate-body, a door applied thereto and having alocking bolt, a non-rotary reciprocating membercoacting with said boltto unlock the same, a rotary screw ngaging said member for impartinglongitudinal movement thereto, means for rotating said screw, and areturnspring connected with said reciprocating member.

The combination of a safe body, its door, a locking bolt carried by thedoor, and unlocking means comprising a non-rotary plunger acting on saidbolt and having a screw threaded bore, a rotary screw engaging saidbore, means for rotating said screw in one directiomfland a returnspring connected with said plunger for withdrawing it to its initialposition, at the end of its forward movement. a V

l l itness my hand. this 1st day of February, 1912.

